Starting a Board Game Cafe with Melissa Villanueva and Angelo Sepulveda

<p><b>Nuggets:</b></p><ul> <li>Deep commitment to your business is essential. Don’t bother getting started if you’re not going to be all in</li> <li>Don’t need to reinvent the wheel in order to be successful. It’s ok to follow a successful model and execute it in your city</li> <li>Make up for your growing pains through good customer service</li> <li>Use complaints about a competitive product or service to find out how to launch a new product that’s better</li> </ul><p><b>Action Steps:</b></p><ol> <li>Layout the menu of food, drinks, etc, and of course, games</li> <li>Run numbers to understand revenue, and see if you have a profitable model</li> <li>Once you’ve decided on your offerings and revenue model, decide on the layout of the space</li> <li>Investigate competitors in your area: what are they doing well and where are opportunities for improvement?</li> <li>Play some board games! Find out which ones are suitable for this idea and create a curated list</li> <li>Find a suitable location - either high-traffic or a large space</li> <li>Here are some potential models to use, one or all three:<ol> <li>Patrons come in with friends, grab a table and technology or a person facilitates your experience</li> <li>Create a consistent time, say 7pm every night that anyone, even solo gamers can come in and join a game</li> <li>Create smaller rooms to host customized gaming experiences for groups including the appropriate atmosphere, props, music, etc.</li> </ol> </li> <li>Explore potential revenue models: e.g. cover charges, order minimums, group rate custom experiences.</li> <li>Join forces with, or buy out an existing coffee shop, bar or restaurant. You can start by hosting some game nights or tournaments for them.</li> </ol><p><strong>Follow through on these action steps and email us your results at update@runwithit.fm. You'll get exclusive access to a private Facebook group of action takers and one listener will earn a free mentorship call with our guest, and potentially, a business partnership.</strong></p><p>